Full Day Trip to Bulgaria from Bucharest: Explore Medieval Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi Village

Embark on a full-day trip from Bucharest to Bulgaria and discover the medieval wonders of Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi Village. Visit the unique St. Dimitrie Basarabov Monastery and explore the impressive hilltop capital of Veliko Tarnovo.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Bucharest - The activity will start in downtown Bucharest.
  • Piaka Unirii - Pass by and admire the Unirii Square one of the largest public squares in Europe.
  • Palace of Parliament - Pass by and admire the Palace of Parliament - the world’s largest, heaviest and most expensive administrative building
  • University’s Square - Pass by and…
What's Included
  • Air-conditioned vehicle transportation
  • Central hotel pick-up in Bucharest
  • Expert tour guidance
What's Not Included
  • Entrance tickets
  • Optional Gratuities
Additional Information

In only a few hours this tour takes you from Bucharest to the foothills of the Balkan Mountains where the impressive medieval settlement of Veliko Tarnovo is located. The tour will start with a visit to the remarkable medieval capital of Veliko Tarnovo, built high on the surrounding hilltops, full of medieval charm. Once you have explored Veliko Tarnovo…

Location
Bucharest
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(269 Ratings)
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Mayanins2021
Jun 15, 2025
Delightful day with Our tour guide and driver - Wonderful guide and driver👍👏👏that makes the trip enjoyable. Rodika is like an encyclopedia( knowledgeable)She was friendly, funny, helpful and made sure we were all enjoying the tour; we appreciate that very much. George our driver, was very polite,helpful and punctual. Thank you Rodika and George🙏❤️apologise if wrote your names wrong…we will recommend this tour, hopefully with you two as operators👍Thank you- James and Maya Starcher(Texas-USA/Panama
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamesfs1694di
Jun 15, 2025
An excellent way to experience Bulgaria - We had a great time on our trip to Bulgaria. Be warned it’s a long day, and you end up having a very late lunch/ early dinner, so it’s worth bringing snacks for the way. We needed cash for entry into the church, fortunately our guide was happy to use her cash and we bank transfer her back (it was much easier this way). Tour guide and driver were both really friendly & knowledgable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
241susies
Jun 13, 2025
Great day trip! - Excellent day in Bulgaria, great driver/guide in Lucien. Ruse was interesting and Veliko was a lovely experience. Good recommendations for coffee/lunch breaks. A long day but well worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ken_c
Jun 7, 2025
Helen was amazing! - This tour was wonderful from the Fortress to the amazing city. It’s a great adventure and Helen was a great source of inspiration and information.
Review provided by Viator
Olivia
Jun 7, 2025
Attentive guide and driver, would recommend this tour - Our guide and driver are both very attentive to the group which has made this a very pleasant experience. Crossing countries by road means there will be a fair bit of time on the road but our guide Rodica has used that time to inform us of Romanian and Bulgarian culture and history and I learnt a lot on this trip. It's nice to be able to see Bulgaria on my Romanian trip; I would recommend this tour and Gray Line Romania, the tour operator. They're communicative from the point of booking.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer_h
Jun 4, 2025
Great Day for a Quick Visit to Bulgaria - It is a long day, but well worth it to see a second beautiful country on my Bucharest trip. Our guide shared great information about both Romania and Bulgaria and was helpful with suggestions of lunch establishments and what to do in the free time. She made it hassle- free and purchased our tickets for the fortress and church we visited without any upcharge.
Review provided by Viator
Ramin_m
Jun 12, 2025
I really enjoyed... - I really enjoyed listening to our guide, Lucien and the tour itself was ok. However, the bridge is under construction on the Bulgarian side, going one direction at a time, and while this is not the fault of the operator, it does add several frustrating hours to the journey,
Review provided by Viator
Traveling_enigma_13
Jun 15, 2025
Long Day to Bulgaria - LONG DAY! We were not prepared for the delays with traffic and construction that made return drive from Bulgaria take 6 hours. We didn’t get back till a little after 9:30 PM. I am sure this doesn’t happen all the time but would be good to be prepared for these unexpected delays with extra battery for your phone or a book to read. The van is air conditioned and comfortable. The program consists of a walkabout Ruse in Bulgaria and then a drive on to a small tourist village (Arbanasi) with a church that has interesting interior paintings. After a look inside the church, onward to Veliko Tarnova with lunch on your own and then a tour of medieval fortress ruins. We were able to use card to pay for admission for both the fortress and the church. Lunch was also payable with card. We brought some snacks and water along to hold us over to the later lunch and were glad for a little sustenance on the ride back to Bucharest. Worth it to add a new country to the list.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brittany_s
Jun 11, 2025
Good tour to see several sites in a day - Lunch time was rushed. We didn't have time to look around in shops afterwards. Bring snacks to keep on the bus to balance out time restraints. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the region. Only reason giving 3 stars is because we could've had an extra 30 minutes to look around after lunch. Traffic is pretty insane so, be prepared to sit in traffic even in rural areas. Traffic is probably why time is more limited due to return time. Good tour to see several things in a short amount of time.
Review provided by Viator
Seaside06014173145
Jun 8, 2025
Need more time in V Tarnovo - Trip it’s too rushed, I understand we can not have a lot of time as it’s on one day but there is no need to stop in Ruse first, it should go directly to V Tarnovo have 2 hrs minimum there besides the visit to the beautiful church. On your way back stop at Ruse for the same short time or skip it. Let the people know there is no meal time included and have the option to buy a lunch box to be able to enjoy the time in V Tarnovo Elena was a good tour guide and very informative
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $91
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).